Just a night off
by Vickysg1
Summary: The Athosians knew how to throw a good party. Part 7 in my "Through the Years" series.


Disclaimer: I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money; I just do it for fun.  
Author's Note: Written for my Sparktober Bingo Card #7 "Athosian Parties". It follows up the fics I've started to write for the same Bingo Card and that you can find here. Happy Sparktober! And thanks to my beta reader silecet for her work.

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At first, Elizabeth hadn't wanted to come, not so soon after they were back in Atlantis. It had taken the combined forces of John and Teyla to convince her that leaving her City for the evening was alright.

"Come on, Elizabeth," John had said. "We'll only be on the mainland and I promise you I'll fly you back here as fast as I can if they need you."

When she finally agreed, he was beaming.

Now that she was here, she was glad she had let herself be convinced. The Athosians certainly knew how to throw a party, and everyone was having fun. Had she opted to stay in Atlantis, she would have missed out on a good evening. And she had to admit that it was nice to finally relax after days of meetings on Earth and almost three weeks cooped up in the Daedalus.

When she had arrived with John and his team, the Athosians had welcomed her warmly, happy to see her again. Apparently, what had happened a few months before was forgotten, and for that, she was grateful. The children, led by Jinto, had gathered around them, and had started talking all at once.

They were all curious about what John did when they were on Earth, and it was easy to understand why: Earth was a world so far away and yet so close at the same time to them. Elizabeth couldn't blame them for their desire to know more about it. She let John deal with the children, and followed Teyla towards Halling and the other adults.

Her relationship with the Athosians had been strained when she had thought there was a traitor among them. But since then, she had wanted to mend it and, with Teyla's help, she had succeeded. She was glad of that; relationships with other people were important in a galaxy where an enemy could strike at any time. The Athosians were also the first people the expedition had met in Pegasus, their first allies, and she had never wanted that to change.

Elizabeth talked with Halling and Charin for a while before going to sit on a log. She watched as the Athosians dance around the bonfire. Teyla had managed to drag a reluctant John into the dance, and Elizabeth smiled as he tried to mimic the moves the Athosian was showing him.

She could tell that he wasn't really trying, but she couldn't blame him; she wasn't fond of dancing either. During receptions on Earth, she had always done her best to avoid the dance floor, even when the music hadn't required anything more than swaying.

Her eyes left John to find Rodney, sitting at a table, eating. Upon their arrival, the scientist's first question had been to know whether there was any citrus in the dishes displayed. Satisfied that the food was safe, Rodney had tucked in and barely said a word since.

Carson had also accompanied them, but Elizabeth had lost sight of him soon after their arrival. She wouldn't be surprised if the good doctor was in one of the tents, tending to the Athosians; Teyla had mentioned that some of them wanted to see him. It wasn't Elizabeth's idea of a party, but she knew that Carson would never turn down someone who needed his help, and that he was probably more comfortable in a tent than out there.

Her eyes returned to the makeshift dance floor, and she immediately noticed that neither John nor Teyla were dancing anymore. If she easily located the Athosian leader, she had no idea where her second in command was.

Just as she thought that, a cup of Athosian wine was presented to her. She raised her eyes and, sure enough, John was standing beside her. She took the cup with a smile, and gestured for him to sit down.

"So, are you glad I convinced you to come?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him; she had known that it would be his first question. She raised her cup and clinked it with his before taking a sip.

"I am. Thank you, John."

They shared a smile. A comfortable silence fell on them as they watched the Athosians partying. Their shoulders brushed, and Elizabeth was almost tempted to lean into him. Although they had had their differences, John had been a support ever since they stepped foot into the Pegasus Galaxy, and even more so during the past month.

He had been there when she had needed to vent against the IOA, but also after she came back from Simon's on that fateful night. He had found her in the empty gym, as if he had known she needed him. He had listened as she confided in him, not saying a word, not even after she was done. She hadn't needed him to talk, she hadn't wanted to hear that she was better off without Simon, that it was his loss: she had just needed a shoulder to cry on, and he had been there.

He had given her the space that she had needed without knowing, and he was doing it again tonight.

If someone had told her, back in Antartica, that this man would become her closest friend, the person who knew her the best, she wouldn't have believed them. But now, she couldn't imagine leading the expedition without him by her side, no matter what the IOA thought.

"Thank you," she repeated.

He said nothing, but the way he looked at her told her he knew she wasn't just thanking him for tonight.

Feeling bold – she was sure it had something to do with the wine – she rose to her feet and turned towards John. She held her hand out to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's dance."

John finished the last of his drink and took her hand, tugging her towards the dance floor.

Fin.


End file.
